VIBE

As New York’s oldest museum, it’s perhaps unsurprising that this venerable institution houses one the city’s finest collections of New York-abilia. Everything from George Washington’s Valley Forge camp cot to a fine collection of Hudson River School paintings (including works by Thomas Cole and Frederick Church), one of the world’s largest collection of Tiffany lamps, and a complete set of Audubon's Birds of America watercolors can be found among their 60,000 treasures. On top of these goodies, the onsite library is the world’s premier New York-related research institute, with three million manuscripts, photographs, maps, prints, and books available for study.

GO HERE WITH

History buffs; kids

WHY WE LIKE IT

The engaging, family-friendly exhibits and children’s museum offer a great way to connect with the history of New York. We like matching a morning visit here with an afternoon picnic in nearby Central Park followed by the nearby, ever-popular American Museum of Natural History.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

Not much, now that the recent renovations are finished.

GOOD TO KNOW

Caffe Storrico (owned by Stephen Starr of Buddakan and Morimoto fame) serves Italian small plates and wines. If you can’t get there in person, check out their online e-museum, which features many of the 60,000 items in the permanent collections. The museum also hosts a distinguished lecture series; tickets for events are available online.

CLOSEST COMPS

Museum of London (London)

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to New York City.